CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Observed and heard in the locker room after the Chicago Bears' 31-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers:
Ferguson up to bat: Defensive end Willie Young compared rookie Ego Ferguson to Houston's J.J. Watt with regard to his ability to bat down passes at the line of scrimmage. Ferguson knocked down a pair of Cam Newton passes in the first half and finished the game with two tackles.
"That guy's playing some phenomenal football right now," Young said. "He's a young guy, a lot of upside. I get excited every time I see him out there on the field. He's bound to make something happen. He got two batted balls in a row. I've never seen that in my life. I don't even think J.J. Watt got two batted balls on two consecutive plays."
Aches and pains: Guard Matt Slauson walked out of the locker room wearing a bag of ice on his left leg, while linebacker Lance Briggs grimaced in pain as he headed to the training room with a bag of ice on his shoulder.
Bennett the blocker: Martellus Bennett caught 21 passes for three touchdowns in the three games prior to Sunday. But the Bears used the tight end extensively as a blocker against the Panthers due to left tackle Jermon Bushrod missing the game because of a knee injury.
Bennett caught just three passes for 17 yards.
"I had to block a lot today," Bennett said. "I ended up chipping a lot this game and helping out the tackles, staying in for protections. I felt like I blocked well today. I'm a classic tight end."
